Cancer-Related Depression Could Be Treated With Magic Mushroom Compound

According to an article in Medical News Today, a single dose of psilocybin - the psychedelic compound in magic mushrooms - may reduce anxiety and depression in patients with advanced cancer, according to the results of two new studies.

Both studies - conducted by investigators from the NYU Langone Medical Center in New York, NY, and Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore, MD - were recently published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology.

Psilocybin is a substance present in various mushrooms - often called magic mushrooms or "shrooms" - found in Europe, South America, and the United States.

Psilocybin is a Schedule I substance under America's Controlled Substances Act, which means it is deemed as having "a high potential for abuse, no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States, and a lack of accepted safety for use under medical supervision."

The new study, however, suggests there may be a medical use for psilocybin after all; it could help alleviate cancer-related psychological distress.

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